In October 2021, the Shanghai Concert Hall launched an interactive exhibition about Chinese music that introduced the distinctive sounds, tonality, scales, as well as origin and inheritance of Chinese music and musical instruments. The exhibition was well-received and many people brought their children along for the educational experience, according to local news portal Shanghai Observer.
Though the exhibition concluded in August, the concert hall, after witnessing its theatrical potential, was reluctant to remove the exhibition. It then decided to bring live music, dance and theater into the space and create a new show.
"We wanted to take traditional Chinese music to a new context," says Tao Qianni, playwright of I Dreamed a Dream. "We all know that feeling of being on a crowded metro train, listening to music and temporarily escaping from reality by daydreaming."
According to Liu Jie, the project manager, Shanghai Concert Hall wants to continue exploring new possibilities for the Music Infinity space.
"There can be other immersive shows, and special projects for families too," he says.
ZHANG KUN in Shanghai
